The symposium will take place at the Jonsson Center in Woods Hole, Mass. and will be webcast live from 10:15 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Eastern time. Click here to access the webcast.

The symposium was organized and will be led by historians Daniel Kevles, Ruth Schwartz Cowan, and Peter Westwick. Daniel Kevles will provide an overview of the founding of the Academy and its place in American democracy, Peter Westwick will speak about how the Academy has served national interests while striving to maintain its independence, and Ruth Schwartz Cowan will discuss the expanded meaning of the sciences in the Academy’s history. The talks by Drs. Westwick and Cowan will each be followed by roundtable discussions with panelists who are familiar with the work of the Academy and with the issues raised in the talks.